Pin and ball elevator release mechanism



Oct. 17, 1961 J. A. BOND 3,004,759

PIN AND BALL ELEVATOR RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 12, 1& 360 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 17, 1961 J. A. BOND 3, ,7

PIN AND BALL ELEVATOR RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 5 G 6 H ,1 w M f w 2 60 FIG-4'.

This invention relates toa vertical elevator or conweyor for bowling ball, and pin handling mechanisms and more particularly to a conveying guide means which is effective to facilitate the. ejection of incorrectly carried halls. and pins thus eliminating elevator jam-ups.

- a The, guide means. according to the present invention are adapted, for use in; conjunction with theelevator shown and described in copending Canadian patent application Serial No. 746,820, F. E. King, and with, the mechanism of copending Canadian patent application Serial No. 804,- 207, J. A. Bond, provide a substantially trouble-free vertigal elevator system. Each of the aforementioned applications are assigned to the assignee of the rights to the present invention.

In the operation of an automatic pinsetter, it is desirable to supply balls and pins singly to the ball return run: way and the pin reset mechanism respectively. This is especially true with respect to bowling pins which tend to cause jam-ups, due to their elongated contours, when not delivered in single file manner.

The mechanism of Canadian patent application Serial No. 804,207, Bond supra, is concerned primarily with pins or balls, carried on the conveyor, which are stacked vertically or at least the projecting upward beyond the normal position while being properly elevated. According to the mechanism as described in Candian patent application 746,820 supra, several balls or pins may enter the vertical elevator simultaneously. Guide means converging in the upward direction are employed to reduce the number of pins carried to one or balls to three. Balls normally do not cause any difiiculties since, due to their symmetrical shape, they do not jarn. It will readily be seen, though, that pins contacting the converging guide means may cause a jam since they are not always free to roll in the proper direction for release of the pressure between the elevator lifts and the converging guide ways.

In order to overcome this difiiculty, a guide means is provided, according to the present invention, which is resiliently biased to turn outward to relieve the pressure, mentioned above, and assist in the ejection of improperly carried balls or pins. The term improperly carried, for the purpose of the present disclosure, includes balls and pins in excess of the wanted number as well as those improperly positioned on the elevator lifts.

In order to more clearly understand the operation of the invention, reference will now be made to the figures of the drawings in which FIGURE 1 shows a portion of the vertical elevator incorporating the mechanism of the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a sectional view of the elevator of FIGURE 1;

FZGURE 3 shows a view of one of the resiliently biased converging guide means, and

FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate the normal and ejecting positions of the guide means.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a portion of a vertical elevator mechanism for a bowling pin and ball handling mechanism having a main frame 1. The elevator is normally located directly to the rear of the bowling alley. The vertical elevator comprises two sets of vertically running endless chains 12 and 13. Between the two chains of each set are carried lift bars 5 United States Patent 3,004,759 Patented Oct. 17, 196 .1

and 6 which lie in horizontal and spaced parallel relationship so that bowling balls or pins, as shown, may be carried thereon. A partition 14 separates the upwardly moving parallel bar lifts from those moving downwardly at the rear of the elevator. The partition, also prevents balls and. pins from falling into thev rear portion of the elevator.

A horizontal or floor conveyor comprising an endless belt 3 on rollers 4, only one of which is shown, carries fallen. pins and. balls from the pit at the rear of, the alley deck to the vertical elevator. The vertical elevator is narrower than the horizontal conveyor and converging guides 2 are employed to direct balls and pins thereto.

Referring, again to the. vertical elevator and the mechanism according to. the invention, converging. guide menu bers 9, a plurality of which are employed, are hi'ngedly secured. to guide supporting walls 21. The guidemembers'9 are spring. biasedfto maintain the position wherein they present. a. hat converging guiding surface or face to as shown. Member 9a is shown in. a positionresulting from pressure being applied-thereto by pin 8 which is shown being, forced thereagainst by a pin '7 which is carried in horizontal. position therewith on the same pair of, lift bars 5, 6. 51311.6 to the. friction of the rubber bands 11, pin 7 does not freely slide to the left and. in. view of the binding contact between band 11 of pin 8 and the guiding face 10- of member 9a, the member 9a pivots outwardly as shown when a greater than a predetermined minimum pressure is applied allowing pin 8 to rotate as shown by the arrow (FIGURE 2) and fall off the elevator lift to the conveyor belt 3 located below. The discharge from the elevator may be assisted by providing for rotation of bars 5 in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed from the righthand side of the elevator.

The guiding surfaces 10 of members 9 are highly polished to assist the outward slipping of a pin such as 8 when pressure is applied between it and the guiding surface.

When a pin is being carried in proper alignment as is pin 7, it may be misplaced from the center of the elevator and still moved into proper alignment by the guides without being ejected since the pin is centrally located with respect to the guiding surface 10 and the force, tending to turn the guide surface, is not sufiiciently great. However, when a pin is not carried properly sooner or later a sufiicient binding force is developed and the pin ejected.

When too great a number of balls are being carried, the balls will roll out and usually do not cause diiliculties. The guides will, nevertheless, operate in a similar manner to that described in conjunction with the pins being conveyed.

Reference will now be made to FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 for a detailed description of the guide members 9 and their mounting. Each guide member comprises a substantially flat guiding surface 10 with a portion 10a bent inwardly from the normal guide surface to facilitate movement of conveyed balls or pins from the preceding guide member. A mounting member 16 secured, as by welding, to the rear and inner edge of guide member 9 is bent outward at each end and journalled to receive a hinge pin 15. A plate 23, drilled at 19 for securement to guide wall 21, is provided with bearing members 17, 18 which allow for rotation of plate 23 about bolt 15. A. helical spring 20, wound about bolt 15, biases the guide member 9 to the normal position shown in plan view in FIGURE 4. A stop is provided by surface 24 contacting the inner surface of member 16, under spring pressure, in the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Once the mechanism is assembled, bolt 15 may be tightly secured in 16 as by riveting shown at 22.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been shown, it will be obvious that modifications may be made which do not depart from the scope and spirit of 'moving in a vertical direction, means feeding balls and pins to the lower end of said elevator, guiding surfaces converging in a vertical direction and restricting the working length of said lift members to reduce their carrying capacity with height wherein said guiding surfaces normally present a fiat guiding surface substantially at right angles to the length of the lifts and wherein at least a portion of'one of said guide members is resiliently pivotable,

about an axis substantially parallel to the length of the guide, to a position whereat said portion presents a surface divergent laterally with respect to thedirection of travel of said elevator.

2. An elevator comprising a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally elongated lifts each constituted by a 'pair of spaced parallel bars horizontally oriented and 'moving in a vertical direction, vertically elongated guide means located between said bars in their upward path of travel, converging in an upward direction and gradually restricting the effective carrying length of said lifts with upward movement, wherein at least one of said guide means is resiliently pivoted about an axis parallel to the length thereof to normally present a guiding surface su stantially at right angles to the direction of travel of the articles being conveyed and a horizontally outwardly diverging surface when a pressure, greater than a predetermined minimum, is applied to said guiding surface laterally ofi center with respect to said axis.

3. A substantially vertical elevator for a bowling ball and pinrhandling mechanism comprising, a plurality of horizontal orientated parallel bar lift pairs displaced to carry bowling balls and pins thereon from a lower feeding source to an upper discharge means, and elongated elevator guide means located between the paths of travel of the bars of each pair and converging in an upward di rection to restrict the efiective carrying length of said lift pairs, wherein said guide means are pivotable about an axis parallel to the guide length and resiliently biased to normally present a guiding surface at substantially right angles to the horizontal length of said bars and a horizontally outwardly diverging surface thereto when subjected to a greater than a predetermined pressure on said guiding surface and offset with respect to said axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

